The known air conditioners have sets for the attachment of components constructed in multiple pieces and comprising a metallic base, which is formed by a plate, which is zinc coated and painted, carrying a plurality of component attaching means in the form of lugs, which are also made of zinc coated metal, attached by means of spot welding and perforated, in order to allow the attachment of the respective components of the appliance through bolts. For attaching the motor-fan and the ventilating chamber to the base, there are provided component supporting means, each having the form of a metallic profile, which is substantially horizontal and which is secured by bolts to at least one lug, or bolted directly to the base, and to which the motor-fan or the ventilating chamber is seated and bolted. In the assembly of the compressor, in order to avoid smashing of the rubber damper when said compressor is bolted, there is provided at least one compressor spacing element, in the form of a steel tubular cylinder, which is inserted in the rubber damper and inside which a respective bolt is introduced.
Considering that at the welding spot of each lug there occurs loss of the zinc coated material, i.e., the anticorrosive protection, it is noted that the known set for attaching the air-conditioner components is highly susceptible to the severest type of corrosion, i.e., at each welding spot that loses the zinc protective layer, the base is subjected to a punctiform corrosion.
The water draining system, which consists of: evaporator water collector, water draining duct and condenser water collector, presents in the state of the art a complex and very inefficient construction. The evaporator water collector presents the form of an upperly opened container, which is fitted between the base front wall and the evaporator spacing means [see FIG. 2, reference C 01] and which is provided, at its rear wall, with a drain, to which the water draining duct is connected in the form of a rubber hose. The condensing water from the evaporator, as collected in said evaporator water collector, is conducted through the rubber hose towards the condenser water collector. The latter, which is formed by a recess defined at the rear portion of the base, receives the water that has condensed on the surface of the evaporator, as described above. At the rear wall of the base, i.e., of the condenser water collector, there is provided an orifice, onto which a multiple-piece drain is mounted, as described henceforth, and through which the collected water flows.
The water draining system, as described above, besides being subjected to cloggings at the draining hose of the evaporator water collector, therefore causing frequent overflows to the environment served by the appliance, is not designed for supporting the pluvial water received by the lateral portions of the base. Such water, besides in certain cases increasing the above cited overflows, can be found throughout the base surface, causing a general corrosion on the latter, as well as risks of short circuits when in contact with the electric system. Moreover, in the known draining system, the sides and the bottom of the condenser are usually immersed in the water contained in the collector, thus being subjected to corrosion. It is also common to have overflow of water from the condenser water collector, due to cloggings in the drain, caused by the surface tension of the water.
Besides the problems related to corrosion and electrical breakdowns, the known set for attaching the air conditioner components further presents other inconveniences, such as the construction and handling complexity, as well as high vulnerability to process damages and failures during the construction operations and the assembly of the air conditioner.
The construction and handling complexities of the sets for attaching the air conditioner components of the present state of the art, besides involving the above cited operations of painting and welding the lugs and bolts, require, among others, shaping and finishing operations, such as bendings, sandings and impermeabilizations, for example by applying sealing elements between the base and the front spacer of the appliance, after the mounting thereof.
As to the vulnerability of said sets to damages, it should be noted the problems, such as, for example, dents in the lugs, base distortions, scratches in the paint and/or in the zinc coating layer, which problems, besides others which were omitted, may cause the manufacturer to scrap complete base sets, thereby often requiring, before the scrapping, additional operations for dismounting the appliances, which have already been mounted.
Common failures during the assembly of the known sets for attaching the air conditioner components include mispositioning of the lugs for the welding and of the appliance components during the mounting-thereof. In the first problem cited, it is common in the extreme situation in which it is necessary to discard the entire base set; in the second case, multiple operations for dismounting, repositioning and remounting the appliance components are needed.
It can be easily observed that the numerous inconveniences cited above involve high costs, either to the manufacturer or to the user of the appliance, since said inconveniences impair the productivity of the amount of parts mounted, in relation to the amount of the used raw material and to the average time for producing one unit, on the manufacturer's side, and the duration of the appliance, on the user's side.
Besides the inconveniences cited above, the set for attaching the air conditioner components further presents restrictions in the construction of its draining system. Since the mounted drain projects beyound the base, and in order to protect said drain and the base against damages during the transportation and assembly, the draining system is provided in separate parts, to be mounted when the appliance is installed. Moreover, as already stated, due to the surface tension of the water, the known drain does not often drain the water and the water layer in the condenser water collector increases beyond the level of the drain, thereby covering portions of said condenser.